The annual EFPSA Congress

The annual EFPSA Congress is a weeklong event which gathers over 350 psychology students, academics and researchers from across Europe. The Congress, which typically takes place between the months of April and May, is composed of a diverse scientific programme exploring a specific theme every year with contributions from students, researchers and experienced academics, and a social programme which provides participants with the opportunity for cultural and social exchange. Thus, the EFPSA Congress is a unique opportunity for psychology students to broaden their scientific and personal horizons.

Additionally, the Congress is a very important event for the Federation as this event marks the start of the new mandate for the Member Representatives and Executive Board. The Executive Board and Board of Management are chosen at the EFPSA Congress, after which they immediately assume their duties and begin to develop their projects during their week at the Congress.

Each year, the host country of the EFPSA Congress changes. There have been 32 Congresses to date, which have been organised in 24 different countries. The 33rd EFPSA Congress will be taking place between the 7th and 14th of April 2019 in Grenaa, Denmark.

What happens during the Congress

Just as the host country of the Congress changes each year so does its academic theme. Covering new fields of psychology each year, the content of the Congress is as varied as its participants’ origins. The Congress hosts lectures and workshops delivered by professionals and students from all over Europe. Participants can hear from experts discussing contemporary topics in psychological theory, research and practice as well as participate in practical workshops and a lively social program.

All students are also invited to contribute to the Congress and to receive feedback on their own studies and research by presenting their own research poster. In these ways, and many more the Congress offers young psychologists the opportunity to broaden their scientific and personal horizons.

A social program unlike any other runs throughout the week each day. There is of course the traditional EFPSA Cultural Evening at which every participating member of the organisation presents itself to the Congress by sharing foods, drinks, and customs from their home nation. An excursion to a local city or regions offers a break away from work and rounds off the Congress nicely as a truly unforgettable experience.

Moreover, the Congress is a very important event for the Federation as most of the Member Representative and Executive Board positions start their Mandate here. Additionally, there is a General Assembly held.

EFPSA Congress History

EFPSA Congress History

1987 Lisbon, Portugal

1998 Skofja Loka, Slovenia

2009 Alteiningen, Germany

1988 Liege, Belgium

1999 Troia, Portugal

2010 Barloo, The Netherlands

1989 Lund, Sweden

2000 Jäneda, Estonia

2011 Borowice, Poland

1990 Lyon, France

2001 Budapest, Hungary

2012 Lolland, Denmark

1991 Geneva, Switzerland

2002 Avanos, Turkey

2013 Izmir, Turkey

1992 Bergen, Norway

2003 Porto, Portugal

2014 Baile Felix, Romania

1993 Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2004 Kopaonik, Serbia & Montenegro

2015 Srní, Czech Republic

1994 Lancaster, UK

2005 Madrid, Spain

2016 Vimeiro, Portugal

1995 Pula, Croatia

2006 Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic

2017 Gakh, Azerbaijan

1996 Jyväskylä, Finland

2007 Turku, Finland

2018 Cirkewwa, Malta

1997 Jurmala, Latvia

2008 Tuščiaulių village, Lithuania

Future Congresses

2019 Denmark

2020 Ireland

This year's Congress

The 33rd EFPSA Congress will be held in Grenaa, Denmark, between the 7th and 14th of April 2019. For more information, visit our website!

EFPSA Conference

The EFPSA Conference first took place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 2013. The EFPSA Conference is a biennial event and places a particular emphasis on its scientific programme.

What happens during the Conference

It brings together around 150 students from all over Europe for four days of lectures, workshops and student presentations. During the Conference, there is an open day, which consists of approximately 30 students from the hosting country/region joining the Conference for one day, to get an opportunity to learn, partake in the lectures and network with the participants.

EFPSA Conference History

2013 Netherlands

2015 Slovakia

2017 Bosnia & Herzegovina

Upcoming Conference

2019 Czech Republic

Why take part

EFPSA conference brings many positive and fulfilling aspects that have been already mentioned above. Lectures, workshops, networking… but what makes the Czech one so special? It is definitely a mixture of a current and interdisciplinary topic, beautiful center of historical Prague and enthusiastic organizing committee doing their best to provide you unforgettable EFPSA experience.

This year’s Conference

Location

The EFPSA Conference will be taking place between the 21–24 November 2019 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Theme

Environmental psychology: “Humans in their surrounding world”.

Organising Committee

The Conference is organized by a team of students from all departments of psychology across the Czech Republic:

Kristyna Kocandrlova: Head of Organization team

Sarka Machova: Head of Scientific team

Tereza Bydzovska: Head of Administrative team

Richard Pabista: Head of Finance team

Terezia Luksicova: Head of Social team

Sabina Krainova: Head of Marketing team

How to apply

Coming soon…

European Summer School

The first European Summer School (ESS) took place in Leie, Estonia in 2007 with the topic ‘Cross-Cultural Psychology’ followed by European Summer Schools covering different topics each subsequent year. It this the first step for you to become a Junior Researcher!

What happens during the European Summer School

During this seven-day event students immerse themselves into a programme of intercultural research where they have the opportunity to join one of six the research projects led by a PhD supervisor in planning and implementing a 12-month study. Apart from this, the programme is enriched by a variety of lectures given by professionals from relevant areas of psychology. Each year, all lectures and research are set against a theme, chosen to reflect a field of contemporary psychology. Since 2011, all ESS participants completing the training programme and committing to the research project have been invited to join the Junior Researcher Programme, extending the European Summer School from a one-week Event into a fully structured 12-month research programme.

European Summer School History

2007 Estonia

2011 Hungary

2012 Portugal

2013 Belgium

2014 Austria

2015 Spain

2016 Turkey (Netherlands)

2017 Cyprus

Upcoming European Summer School

2018 Netherlands

Why take part

Coming Soon...

This year’s European Summer School

Location

Theme

Organising Committee

How to apply

EFPSA Academy

The EFPSA Academy aims to bring together volunteers of European youth NGOs to enable them to develop professionally, establish networks, heighten their motivation and share experiences, while equipping them with a variety of skills and knowledge concerning a specific core topic. It lasts three days, in a city that is quick and easy to reach from many places.

What happens during the EFPSA Academy

The EFPSA Academy aims to bring together volunteers of European youth NGOs to enable them to develop professionally, establish networks, heighten their motivation and share experiences, while equipping them with a variety of skills and knowledge concerning a specific core topic.

During the Academy, participants receive high quality training sessions, get the chance to attend workshops given by experts on the topic and will be able to practice their skills on hands-on examples and real-life challenges.

The EFPSA Academy invites 30 student volunteers representing different youth NGOs, different fields of studies and different parts of Europe. This makes the Academy a naturally diverse place to be. This vibrant mix of people and backgrounds creates an atmosphere that remains lively and highly engaging on both academic and social levels throughout the event.

The EFPSA Academy is a dynamic event. Each edition is hosted in a new country/region by a different Organising Committee, focusing on a different topic each time. The EFPSA Academy lasts three days over an extended weekend, in a city that is quick and easy to reach from many places.

Eligible participants can be from any year of undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate (up to two years after graduation) studies, volunteering in any European NGO.

EFPSA Academy History

2017 Czech Republic

Upcoming Academy

2018 Netherlands

Why take part

During the EFPSA Academy, you'll learn

how teams are created and how group dynamics impact

what's necessary to build an effective team

how to keep the motivation within your team

basics of effective communication

Extra value of this event is in the networking part when you get to know other participants from various NGOs. Team of 4 experienced trainers are going to take care of you by delivering high quality sessions with evidence-based theories.

This year’s EFPSA Academy

Location

The second edition of the EFPSA Academy will be held between 11th and 13th May 2018 in the Amsterdam, the capital city of The Netherlands. The Event will be delivered in Pondok in West, a happy new place near the westlandgracht voor meet ups and inspiration.

The address is: Poeldijkstraat 373, Amsterdam. Amsterdam is an international city with a rich history and a highly diverse population from 180 different backgrounds enjoying a broad range of arts and culture.

Theme

This year’s topic is Team Work: How to be a better team member. During the event we will focus on how to ameliorate the team work within European NGOs. The focus will be on raising the awareness about the group dynamics, communication and rules for a great and effective team. We will emphasize how one can contribute to enhance the full potential of the team. Our goal will be to give the volunteers skills and tools to be used back in their NGO. All theories presented will be evidence based and practiced during the event so participants can grasp the skills fully.

Do you want to become a better team member? Do you want to contribute more effectively? Are you ready for Amsterdam?!

Organising Committee

Zahira Suliman: My name is Zahira Suliman (1991). I am from the Netherlands and part of the organising commitee of the EFPSA Academy 2018. After graduating from the bachelor Business Administration at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, I decided to continue studying the bachelor of Dance in Education with the aim of exploring and investing in my passion and interest for people and for dance as a form of human expression within performance art. In 2016 I graduated again and I became the founder of my one-woman-business called “undefined”- which I currently use to work as a freelancer within the field of people and dance. I like to gain knowledge and get inspired by other disciplines as psychology when I am creating work as a choreographer, teacher or dancer.

Shabiha Rahamat: My name is Shabiha Rahamat and from The Hague, the Netherlands. A recent graduate of Industrial and Organizational psychology at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. As Coordinator of the organising committee of EFPSA Academy 2018 it is a honor to organize the second edition of this event. I am passionate about building bridges between different people, cultures and countries. Experiencing how we are more alike than we think we are. Learning about one another and respecting each other for our differences, which makes the EFPSA Academy the perfect opportunity to do so.

Sponsors

Six Seconds is an emotional intelligence network promoting best practices via methods and tools that are global, scientific, and transformational. We teach the skills of emotional intelligence to fill the "missing link" needed for people to become more aware, intentional, and purposeful so individuals, teams, organizations, families, schools, and communities flourish.

How to apply

Please fill in the form for application – here. The deadline is 1st April 23:59 CET.

EFPSA Day

EFPSA Day is a promotional event that takes place across Europe at the beginning of December. The first EFPSA Day was held in 2010. The aim of this one-day event is to spread the word about EFPSA all over Europe. Presentations, workshops and other activities connected with EFPSA take place in many universities on the same day in order to make as many students as possible familiar with EFPSA.

8th Edition of Train the Trainers Summer School took place in beautiful Czech Republic and is succefully completed in August 2018. 12 new trainers were welcomed into the EFPSA Trainers’ Community as trainer candidates. TtT 2018 is implemented with the financial and educational support of European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe.

Train the Trainers Summer School

In 2010, the first Train the Trainers summer school took place in Austria. The Train the Trainers (TtT) summer school is an annual eigth-day event featuring experiential and non-formal education aimed at providing its twelve participants with insights and tutoring on a broad set of skills and knowledge about delivering training and information. Upon completion of set requirements, the TtT graduates may be invited to join the EFPSA Trainers’ Pool – a supportive environment for furthering training skills and experiences.

What happens during the Train the Trainers Summer School

EFPSA Train the Trainers Summer School (TtT) is an intense, unforgettable 8-day event wherein you’ll gain the knowledge, skills and the right attitude a beginning trainer needs to design and deliver effective and engaging training sessions. The TtT is also the first step in becoming a certified EFPSA trainer.

Aim of the event

In 2010 the first EFPSA Train the Trainers Summer School was organized to educate psychology students to be able to support the organizational development of EFPSA. Since then, the TtT has been a popular yearly event. Through this event a high quality first level trainers’ education for 12 carefully selected participants is ensured. These 12 participants will later be supported and mentored on their way to the EFPSA Trainers’ Pool.

The goal of the event is for participants to interactively familiarize themselves with learning, education and training theories and techniques that enable them to successfully design and deliver training to EFPSA active members, their national psychology student associations and other organizations. They get the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to become trainers in order to develop themselves and others, and build strong interpersonal relationships in an international learning environment.

The desired outcome of the TtT is sustaining the EFPSA Trainers’ Pool by gaining at least 9 new members every year. This also ensures the sustainability of the EFPSA Training Office and thus development of the active members and organization itself.

Goals

The EFPSA Train the Trainers Summer School aims to:

Educate future EFPSA Trainers who will contribute to the development of psychology students, EFPSA, its members and other student NGOs by:

identifying needs within the organization and creating goals for a training accordingly,

designing and delivering trainings according to the needs and goals,

following-up and evaluating delivered sessions.

Raise awareness of benefits of training and non-formal education

Encourage participants to take their own initiative and use their creativity in actively finding their own training style

Support and encourage participants to seek their trainers’ identity and pursue self-development

Content of the program

According to the needs of the participants, the exact content of the program is constantly adapted, but the main learning areas remain similar and are focused around (amongst others):

Self-development

Communication skills

Adult learning

Training Design

Training Delivery

Trainers’ Attitude

EFPSA Knowledge Transfer

Each day the agenda will start with a “Kick- off” activity and end with a “Reflection” session. Trainings will be varied in methodologies, and emphasis will be placed on interaction and experiential learning.

Participants will have several opportunities to practice giving short trainings themselves, where they can apply the knowledge earned at each stage of the summer school, at the end of which they will be given feedback by group members and trainers. These trainings will be either prepared by the participants, as homework before the seminar or as practice work during the seminar. Leisure time and activities (like relaxation near the venue, excursion, etc) will allow for passive digestion of the new information acquired, and also enable interpersonal networking and support the positive group atmosphere and learning environment.

Train the Trainers Summer School History

2010 Austria

2013 Malta

2014 Slovenia

2015 Serbia

2016 Lithuania

2017 Netherlands

2018 Czech Republic

Upcoming Train the Trainers Summer School

2019 Coming Soon...

Why take part

After getting trained and practicing your new skills in the event, you will then be required to gain a few hours of training experience with the support and guidance of a mentor. This will lead to the opportunity of joining the EFPSA Training Community.

This community provides you with the following advantages:

you become an official EFPSA Trainer and hence legitimate to deliver on behalf of EFPSA at its internal events as well as external events of other NGOs’ such as BEST, EMSA, Zero Generation.

you gain access to all EFPSA Trainers mailing list and receive information about trainers’ calls

you can actively contribute to the development and professional image of the training system in EFPSA (webpage, blog etc.)

you can apply for Training Office and start an adventurous year!

you can deliver at the EFPSA Congresses

you can apply for Train Advanced Trainers!

become a mentor for new Trainer Candidates 🙂

you can order your personalised EFPSA Trainer hoodie and other trainer merchandise

join the network of people with similar values, beliefs and interests to you

Train Advanced Trainers

EFPSA's Train Advanced Trainers (TAT) is an eight-day event that takes place in March. This is the only EFPSA event that is open to non-psychology students and externals. The TAT is designed for up to 25-30 experienced trainers from various NGOs and offers an opportunity to further develop training skills within a specific topic.

What happens during Train Advanced Trainers

EFPSA Train Advanced Trainers aims to professionally develop European youth trainers. The core of the eight day event is the acquirement of advanced knowledge on a specifically selected content theme as well as networking between young, experienced trainers from different non-governmental organisations. The event is a call for a selection of talented trainers who want to take their personal competences and their profession to a higher level – giving an opportunity to exchange experiences and collaborate on designing evidence-based practices.

TAT hard facts

Participants: 24 experienced trainers

Participation Requirements: Basic trainers’ education (Train the Trainers), Training experience (a minimum of 30 delivery hours), high motivation to participate, willingness to contribute to the event and opportunity to implement the learning outcomes.

Trainers: 6 expert trainers

Duration: 8 Days

Costs: Depending on the edition and host country

Goals

Aid European Youth Trainers in their goal for continuous development by providing second level education on a selected topic.

Build a strong network of experienced trainers across Europe.

Train Advanced Trainers History

2014 Lithuania

2015 Finland

2016 Poland

2017 Portugal

2018 Cyprus

Upcoming Train Advanced Trainers

Coming Soon...

Why take part

Do you want to make training a part of your career or do you want to further develop your training career? Are you seeking the best possible support for your next steps as a trainer? If you answered yes, read below to gain further insight on what Train Advanced Trainers has to offer you.

Receive in-depth training education

Many European student organisations, offer “Train the Trainers” (TtT) events to educate young trainers. Most of the organisations behind these events have a recognition system to monitor progress until trainers have fulfilled the requirements to be able to deliver their own training sessions. However, after completing this basic education, structured additional support and development opportunities are rarely provided. With the Train Advanced Trainers (TAT) we propose to further the process of learning and building skills for young trainers.

For trainers who already possess prior experience, Train Advanced Trainers is a unique possibility to have an effective learning experience and guidance for their future development and to build on their trainers’ skills.

Receive high quality feedback

Trainers participating at Train Advanced Trainers are encouraged to deliver sessions or contribute in other valuable ways to the event and receive feedback from other experienced trainers present.

TAT aims to develop its participants to deliver higher-quality trainings for their own organisations and share their knowledge with other trainers in their networks.

Expand your network

Train Advanced Trainers brings trainers from different organisations and disciplines together and creates a framework for networking on European level. As participants will come from very diverse backgrounds, their mutual cooperation and exchange will be one of the most valuable outcomes of the event. During an intensive learning week, they will not only acquire new skills, but also share experiences, knowledge and resources and build a basis for future projects. Through its follow-up and outcomes, the event creates the necessary structure for the participants to bring the development that happens during the TAT to their organisations and local communities.

All TAT participants will enter an active community of advanced trainers called ‘The Hive’ after graduation of the event. The Hive connects all TAT alumni in a network of experienced trainers across Europe, where sharing, discussions and initiatives happen.

This year’s Train Advanced Trainers

Location

TAT 2018 take place between 24th of March and 1st of April in the surroundings of beautiful Voroklini, Cyprus and revolved around the topic of 'Power of Empathy'.

TAT 2018 will take place in the beautiful surroundings of Oroklini, Cyprus, at Antonis G Hotel Apartments. Antonis G Hotel Apartments is a beautiful family run complex with an excellent location by the sea (beach about 2km away), situated in the coastal City of Larnaca. The resort is surrounded by gardens full of local trees, bushes and flowers. There is a swimming pool, a sauna and a small gym. The resort also includes a traditional restaurant that operates all day, offering buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as snacks and sweets at all times. There is also a bar conveniently located and perfect for a relaxing drink.

Theme

This year the topic of TAT is: “The Power of Empathy ~Dealing with Emotions in Training”. Impactful trainings require engagement by participants. In engagement emotional processes are inevitably involved. As a trainer you can learn how to create an aesthetically perfect training, but the impact of that training is also determined by emotional processes in both trainers and participants. Emotions impact learning. Thus, knowing in what ways emotions influence learning and knowing how to deal with and use emotions as a trainer, can positively influence participants’ learning outcomes. Trainers who use empathy and emotions appropriately support the developmental process of participants. As trainers, we are expected to react in proper ways to different emotional and interactional processes. However, the skills surrounding emotions have not received much attention in advanced trainers’ education. During TAT 2018 we will synthesise the latest research findings, expert opinions and input from experienced trainers into an actionable and evidence-based framework around some of the following questions:

How do emotions affect learning?

How can we deal with emotions and use it to aid participants’ learning?

What role can empathy play in training?

What role to take as a trainer in the group dynamics?

Which methods can we use to reach our goals in reflection groups, coaching sessions and personal development sessions?

What are the best practices for creating a safe learning space?

And many more…!

Organising Committee

Demos (Administration): After participating in my first EFPSA training event last year in the Netherlands I felt the need to contribute in such an event and now I am glad that I was given this opportunity to work with a wonderful team while organising one of the most amazing EFPSA events. Now as a member of the organising committee I will do my absolute best so everyone can have fun during this intense and informative week.

Niki (Social): Hello, I'm Niki. I'm 22 years old. I'm currently studying at the university of Cyprus in the department of psychology and I love Star Wars.

Michalis (Finance): I am Michalis and I am from Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. I am a student in the fourth year of psychology at the University of Cyprus. I have been studying in Athens for a while in a music academy, and today I am working in a family business (clothes shop). My interests are cinema, music, good food, exploring foreign kitchens and tastes, reading articles and books on psychology, and generally dealing with everything that can be a challenge and a passion for me.

Vicky (Coordinator): Just like the rest of the team, I am a psychology enthusiast! I am also passionate about human and animal rights, science and space exploration, and literature. I’m looking forward to meeting all of you and hope to make this experience enjoyable as well as educational!

How to apply

Trainers' Meeting

EFPSA Trainers’ Meeting (typically abbreviated as TRAM) is a three to four-day low budget Event aimed at trainers’ education, organised by EFPSA Trainers. The goal of TRAM is for NGO/youth trainers to unite, share knowledge and experience and develop their skills. The Event is centered around a main topic related to training, which is delivered by an expert trainer. Participants are trainers from different organisations and they deliver trainings to each other on topics related to the main theme of the Event.

Trainers' Conference

EFPSA Trainers’ Conference (typically abbreviated as TraC) is an Event aimed to gather EFPSA Trainers in order to discuss several topics regarding the training world within EFPSA and in general. The number of participants, the duration and the timing of the Event is flexible, and it can change every mandate. Generally, there is an Open Training Day where TraC participants have the opportunity to deliver trainings in the nearest university.

Join Executive Board & Member Representatives Meeting

The annual Joint Executive Board & Member Representatives’ Meeting (Joint EB & MR Meeting) is held each autumn and it is attended by individuals who are active members within the EFPSA working community. This meeting is a unique occasion when EFPSA sets aside online communication as it convenes for a week of internal meetings and intense work.

What happens during the Joint EB & MR Meeting

Taking place halfway through the EFPSA mandate, the Joint EB & MR Meeting is a crucial time for EFPSA, allowing all active students of EFPSA to gather in order to discuss their mandate so far and engage in discussion with other teams over the future direction of the Federation. Workshops, lectures, trainings and presentations are just a part of what is happening, with the Working Community enjoy working together in their teams to maintain the smooth operation of the Federation!

Joint EB & MR Meeting History

2013 Ireland

2014 Serbia

2015 Romania

2016 Croatia

2017 Belgium

2018 Poland

Upcoming Joint EB & MR Meeting

2019 Coming Soon...

Board of Management Meeting I & II

The Board of Management Meeting(s) is a fundamental component in terms of EFPSA’s administration and working practices in order to evaluate the work of the Federation, develop ideas in order to facilitate this work and contribute to the improvement and sustainability of EFPSA. The place of the Event(s) is decided every year from the Board of Management. The working programme involves analysis of the Federation, plenary sessions of EFPSA, its Mission, Vision, Values and Events and Services, project based work and discussion sessions.